Safety towing device



- 'u 1,592,019 o. WEBER v SAFETY TowING DEVICE .lubr 13 1926.

Fired Jan. 29, 192e 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented July 13, 1926.

Aram oFFiCE.

OTTOk WEBER, OF DRESDEN-ALTSTADT, GERMANY.

SAFETY TOWING- DEVICE.

Application led January 29, l1926, Serial No. 84,789, and in Germany August 1, 1924.

, The present invention relates to safety towing devices, particularly adapted for ships and executed as hydraulic cylinders or pistons while a pressure liquid acts as sealing medium.

One of the objects of the invention is to improve towing devices of the type mentioned in such a manner that the sealing liquid contained in the hydraulic cylinder and preferably consisting' of oil is retained on releasing,fi. e., opening, of the towing devices and not lost as is now the case.

Another object is to execute the towing device so as quickly bring it back into working position and connect it yagain with the towingA rope after the latter has been released without requiring any tools or laborious manipulations.

Furthermore, the present invention aims at causing or providing a very rapid automatic release of the towing rope so as to reduce the danger to the tug boat of beingV upset when the rope pulls very strongly in a lateral direction still more than is pos- 25, sible today. I

It is also one of the objects lof the present invention to execute the towing device so as to effectively prevent anyunintentional uncoupling between rope and towing device in case of quickly changing tractive forces.

One form of the invention is described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a side view of the towing device, partly in section; Fig. 2, a longitudinal sectionof the entire device on the Vline a-b, Fig. l; Fig. 3, a cross section of the releasing eye on the line o-d, Fig. 2; Figa, a cross section of the head of the cylinder cover on the line e-f, Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a cross section of the device on the line g-h, Fig. 2; Fig. 6, another side view of the entire device; Fig. another side view ofthe device turned at an angle of 90; Fig. 8, a front view of the towing eye; and Fig. 9, a view of the suspension hook seen from the other side.

AS indicated by Figs. 1, 2, 5 andre the' safety towing device according to this invention conslsts of a hydraulic cylinder Gr having aboring Z, in which is guided the v piston K. The latter is preferably ofthe solid or disc type and provided with a piston rod N which is perforated and provided with internal thread I.

The face of the piston K, as shown in this modification is provided with an elevation and a groove F which is engaged by a corresponding part F1 of the cylinder cover D whenever the piston is in workf ing position. The piston K is suitably packed with respect to the wall of the cylinder G and protected against shifting when in operating position, i. e., when the member F1 engagesl the groove F.

The cylinder G intended for receiving the pressure' liquid, preferably oil, is, in the modification shown, provided with by-pass Vcanals K1, K2, which are fitted with shutoftl and delivery devices such as cocks U1, U2. As particularly indicated by the Figs. 5 and 7, the shuttingeoff cocks U1, U2 are connected by rocking arms Sch1 provided with slots O1 Iat their free ends. The rocking arms Sch1 engage the shaft of the shutting-off valves which are provided with suitable packings Q in the cylinder G and secured by screws W. p

To open'and close the shutting-off cocks, a rod B has been provided which engages the slots O1 of the rocking arms Sch1 by means of a bolt A. The rod B is capable of executing a sliding movement in the longitudinal direction of the device andactuates on its upward movement the two shuttingb valves U1, U2 so as to open the by-pass canals K1, K2 and thus permit the sealing liquid to flow into the space above the piston K.

The latter and the piston rod N as well as l the towing eye E, R move outwardly so that the latter opens automatically and releases the hawser as will be described in detail below.

The towing eye shown in the present modification consists of two members, i. e., the Y member E connected with the piston rod N and aclosing piece R linked-on by means of a hinge-pin S. These two members are arranged in a socket H connected with the hydraulic cylinder and are capable of moving in a longitudinal direction so that the towing eye, on entering the socket H, is closed and kept in closed position by the socket H while, on leaving the socket H, the towing eye will automatically open and thus release the hawser.

Between the socket H and the oil chamber Z of the cylinder G a packing P, V has been arranged. The socket- H is further provided with externally extending cam-like pins T to facilitate the operation of he entire device, particularly when the piston is pressed back by iand into its working position according to Fig. 2.

Aside `from the by-pass canals K1 and K2 which are arranged parallel to one another and which permit a rapid over-flowing of the sealingl liquid when the shutting-off cocks U1, U2 are opened, a third by-pass canal has been provided as indicated in Fig. l. axially movable within this by-pass canal is a sluice valve B1, which can move in longitudinal direction and which is provided with a. canal K3. .Vlien pulling` out the valve B1 the openings of the canal l@ are on a higher lever than the openings of the bypass canal and thus make pos .ble the overflow of the liquid.

rllhe connection of the hydraulic cylinder G with the tug boat or vessel is established by means of the eye O which is slightly rotatably arranged in the head piece D of the cylinder cover and which is held in positionby means of a nut and a conical pin The device functions briefly as follows: if a vessel is to be taken in tow, the hawser and its connecting organ is introduced into the eye E, R which is closed by bringing bach the piston li to working position, as shown in Fig. 2. After the sealing liquid has entered the. cylinder space Z the cocks U1, U2 are closed by pushing bacl; the connecting rod into the position shown in Fig. 7. lf the valve B1 is not in its position of restas per Fig. l, it will be pushed bach into it, so that all by-pass canals are closed. The connecting eye O is connected withthe. tugboat in a suitable manner, and the rod B serving for opening the canals K1. l@ is connected to the tugboat on both Sides by means of traction members which extend towards starboard and port so as to leave a certain amount of free play. This free play permits the towing device to move laterally within certain limits i. e., to move from the center of the vessel during the work of tugging.

However, if the towing device is moved fart-her from its center position than the free play of the safety traction member extending towards port and starboard permits, the byfpass canals K1, i2 will be opened by the automatic backward movement of the rod B, the sealing liquid. into the space above the pressure piston K which will move backwards together with the eye E, B, so as to automatically release the hawser.

In tugboat service the hawse', if automatic releasing` devices are used. is usually connected with the tugboat by means of an auxiliary rope which acts when the liawser has been disconnected to prevent upsetting. rlhis auxiliary rope permits the re-connection ofthe hawser without much loss of time so that the work of towing can be started again immediately after the tugboat and the vessel to be towed are in normal position.

For this purpose 'the ysafety towing device according to this invention can be easily put in working position again by a few turns of the hand, i. e., by getting hold of the cam T and pushing back the piston rod after the connecting organ of the hawser has been inserted in the eye E, B.

By pulling bach the rod B to a position of rest as shown in Fig. 7 the by-pa'ss canals K1, K2 are closed again, and the device is ready again for further towing worl.

If it is desirable to disconnect the hawser for any reason, all that is necessary is to pull the valve B1 open by means of rope leading to the bridge etc. so that the sealing liuid can flow.

I claim l. In a safety towing device operating with a pressure liquid the combination of a hydraulic cylinder and piston whose rod is connected with an automatically opening eye while the cylinder receiving the pressure liquid is provided withIby-pass canals and shutting-olf organs arranged therein con nected with rocking arms which have slots to which a connecting rod actuating the sluitting-olf organs in the same way is secured by bolts, the connecting rod being operated by a suitable tractive device.

2. In a safety towing device operating with a pressure liquid the combination of a hydraulic cylinder and piston whose rod is connected with an automatically opening eye while the cylinder' receiving the pressure liquid is provided with by-pass canals, one of which being fitted with a co-axially moving sluice valve capable of being actuated by a suitable shutting-oil device.

3. In a safety towing device operating with a pressure liquid the combination of a. hydraulic cylinder and piston whose rod is connected with an automatically opening eye while the cylinder receiving the pressure liquid is provided with by-pass canals and shutting-olf organs arranged therein and connected with tractive members, the automatically opening eye moving in a connecting piece of the cylinder executed as guide which, when in working position, firmly holds the eye together; the said eye opening automatically on leaving the guide which 1s provided with projecting cams to facilitate lll) the Work ofl returning the opened eye to its an elevation and the cover of the cylinder Working position. being provided with a corresponding mem- 4. In a safety towing device operating ber so as to prevent any turning of the pis- 10 with a pressure liquld the combination of a ton in pushed-in condition by the engage- 5 hydraulic cylinder and piston Whose rod is ment of the said member and groove.

connected With an automatically opening In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

eye, the said piston having a groove out into OTTO WEBER. 

